


2nd May

by LittleRose13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anniversary, Battle of Hogwarts, F/M, Family Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 07:04:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14515023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRose13/pseuds/LittleRose13
Summary: The 10th, 20th and 30th anniversaries of the Battle of Hogwarts, with added flower crowns.





	2nd May

_ 2nd May, 2008  _

“I can’t believe she’s still not here,” Ginny sighed and gently spread her hand across her swollen stomach. Harry sat beside her on the bed and sweetly placed his on top.

“Will you be okay today?” Harry asked in concern. 

Ginny felt her temper flare. “I’m pregnant, Harry, not dying of Dragon Pox. I’ve done this twice already, I’ll be fine.” 

“Right, I know, you’re a superhuman.” He leant forward and kissed her forehead. 

She sighed down at her baby bump. “Why doesn’t she want to come out?”

Harry took her hands in his and switched his gaze from her stomach to her eyes. “I think you’ve made such a lovely home for her in there, she doesn’t want to leave.”

Ginny laughed. “Look at you, making up crap for me.” She hesitated. “Harry, will _you_ be okay today?” 

Harry swallowed and nodded a fraction. “It’s never an easy day.”

“Ten years,” Ginny whispered. “We’ve almost had three kids.” 

Harry glanced at his watch. “Speaking of, your poor mother definitely didn’t expect to be watching the boys this long.” 

Ginny nodded and held her hand out reluctantly to Harry, hating that she was so temporarily dependent. He helped her up from the bed and she breathed heavily. 

“Ready to go?” He straightened his dress robes, running his hands through his long hair and starting to tie it up in his usual knot at the back of his head. 

“All ready.”

The living room downstairs was a different world to the calm, serene atmosphere of their bedroom. James was balanced on the arm of one of the sofas, a pile of cushions set out on the floor beneath him. He leapt onto the cushions, making a loud explosion sound as he did and Albus, who was watching in delight, laughed loudly and rushed forward to reposition the cushions as James climbed up again for a fresh attempt.

“It was easier to let them get on with it,” Molly sighed, her wand pointed slyly at the whole scene no doubt casting extra cushioning charms. 

Her words brought James and Albus’ attention to the fact that their parents were in the room. James jumped guiltily onto the sofa, as if he’d been sitting there the whole time and Albus came running towards them. 

_ “ _ Mummy, Daddy! _ ”  _ he cried, throwing himself at Harry, who picked the two-year-old up and sat him happily on his hip. “Jamesy jump down!” Albus pointed enthusiastically at the cushions, an idea clearly forming in his head. “Me jump down!” 

“I didn’t  _ mean  _ to,” James insisted. “It was an accident, Mummy,  _ and  _ it was Al’s idea.”

Albus wriggled down from Harry’s grip and ran to Ginny. He gently placed his ear against her stomach, pressing his finger to his lips. 

“My  _ sister _ ,” he announced proudly before pressing his lips up against the baby bump. “Liwy, I wove you.” 

“Come here, my sweet boy.” Ginny carefully crouched down, pulling Albus to her and smoothing his wild hair down with one hand.

“You know you both have to be so good today, boys.” Harry helped James replace the cushions. “It’s a very important day.”

James screwed his face up in concentration before reciting the words he knew. “It’s the day what was when you helped save the world, Dad! And lots of special people loosed their lives, like Teddy’s Mummy and Daddy and Mummy’s brother, Fred. So we will always be good today.”

“But remember how we talked about today being extra special. It’s not just going to be our family remembering, it’s going to be lots and lots of important people and we’re going to Hogwarts.”

James shrugged. “We be good.” 

Ginny and Harry exchanged looks. At not quite four, James was a bundle of energy at all times and they weren’t sure how he’d handle today’s ten year memorial service. The idea of taking him to something like this when he was Albus’ age was unthinkable, but he was much easier to keep entertained now, and Albus was nothing like his brother had been at two. 

“Well, time to go.” Harry started trying to usher James towards the fireplace. 

“I want to hold Grandma’s hand!” he complained when Harry tried to take it. He sighed and gestured for Molly, who was only too pleased to take James’ hand instead. 

“Me hold Daddy’s hand,” Albus said sweetly, rushing forward to join hands with Harry. He squeezed his son’s hand tightly; today was never going to be easy, but knowing his family were there with him would be a small comfort.

They flooed messily into Professor McGonagall’s office, Harry arriving last with Albus, his eyes immediately snapping to Ginny to make sure she was okay after the journey. He knew she wouldn’t want him fussing over her, but her small thumbs up and relaxed smile told him all he needed to know before she busied herself brushing ash out of Albus’ hair. 

“There’s nobody here,” James announced, sounding disappointed as he cast his eyes around the empty office. “I thought there would be more people.”

“Everyone is outside, Jamesy.” Harry pointed out of the window and his son followed his gaze. 

Outside on the grounds, rows and rows of chairs had been set up, all facing the impressive and beautiful jagged marble structure with the names of the Fallen Fifty carefully etched into it. Their names, their birth dates and their wand types covered the memorial in swirling writing, not in straight lines or any kind of order. Later, the Minister (Kingsley Shacklebolt) would read every single name out in his deep, calming voice, like he had at the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. 

Several people milled around outside, although they were undoubtedly some of the first to arrive. They stopped to collect a glittering pin badge each, the silhouette of Hogwarts embossed with a number ten. When the pins were worn, they reflected the shadow of a wand being lifted by a hand. 

Albus stood reverently still while Harry pinned one to the front of his robes, gazing down at it in awe. It kept his attention for the entire opening speech, where he sat happily still in the front row, barely noticing what was going on around him and instead utterly mesmerised by his badge.

James took the approach of looking around him and loudly announcing “that man’s crying,” every so often, each time followed by Ginny hushing him and trying to convince him to sit back down. 

When it was time for Harry to make his speech, Albus tried to go with him and was most disappointed to not be allowed on the stage with his dad. He contented himself instead with curling up against Ginny and whispering to his unborn baby sister. The words  _ daddy, sparkle  _ and  _ cuddol  _ were distinguishable in the conversation. 

Ginny stroked his hair and wrapped an arm around James, all three of them watching Harry give his speech. It was strange to think that it had already been ten years. 

* * *

_ 2nd May, 2018 _

“Lily Luna! Hurry up, we’re going to be late!” Ginny called up the stairs. 

“Coming, Mum!” Lily clattered down the stairs, her long red hair streaming behind her. She presented her waiting mother with a bundle of snapdragons. “This one’s for you.”

Ginny recognised it instantly as one of Lily’s flower crowns, made from blossoms stolen from the garden. She took it in bemusement. “Does Dad get one too?” 

Lily’s eyes shone. “Oh yes! His is here, and this one’s for James and this one’s for Tebby and  _ this  _ one’s for Al.” She pointed to each flower crown in turn where they were looped over her forearm. “I know this day is supposed to be sad, because of the Fallen Fifty, and flower crowns always make me a bit happier.” 

Ginny smiled at her daughter’s innocence. “Why don’t we give them the option to shrink them down and keep them in their pockets?” 

Lily’s face fell. “You don’t think they’ll want to wear them?”

“That isn’t what I said at all.” Ginny started to absent-mindedly play with Lily’s long hair. “You know Dad has to give a very important speech, it might be a bit distracting. And you  _ know  _ he’d be torn if you asked him to wear it.”

Lily sighed. “Tebby will wear his.”

“I’m sure he will, and I’ll wear mine, Lily Lu, promise.” She placed it atop her red hair to prove her point. 

Her daughter was quiet and pensive then she whispered. “I don’t think Al will want his.” 

Ginny frowned. “What makes you say that?” 

“He’s  _ different  _ now, Mum. He doesn’t write back to my letters very much and it’s not like when James went to Hogwarts because he was always just the same in the holidays. Albus doesn’t want to play with me anymore.”

She was so innocent in her words. Ginny wrapped an arm around her daughter and sighed into her hair. “Albus is finding Hogwarts a little bit harder to adjust to than James did.”

“Why?” she inquired. “I thought Hogwarts was the best place in the world.”

“Some people aren’t very nice to your brother.”

“Who isn’t nice to him? Will they be there today? Can I run up to them and just… just  _ kick them _ , Mum?” Her fists were clenched and her jaw set. “Can I use your wand and try a bat bogey hex?”

“No bat bogey hex today, Lil. Not until I’ve taught you how.”

“I  _ know  _ how, I’ve seen you!”

“Still not happening, and  _ when  _ have you seen me?” 

Lily looked guilty. “Only joking. Please can I just _ try?  _ Maybe if I do that, Albus will like me again.” 

“Oh, Lil.” Ginny pulled her into a hug. “Of course he likes you. Albus loves you, he loves all of us. It’s hard for us to understand, but lots of the time, when someone feels unhappy, they push away anything which could make them happy, because it feels pointless.”

“So what can we do? I don’t want Al to be unhappy.”

Ginny shook her head. “Neither do I, it breaks my heart. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. Don’t give up on your brother, he’ll come around a bit soon, you’ll see.” 

Lily nodded like she understood that. “If he wants to put it in his pocket, that’s okay.” 

They arrived at Hogwarts with time to spare and Lily was immediately on the lookout for either of her brothers or Teddy. She stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck around and clutching her flower crowns. “Over there!” 

Professor Slughorn was standing with a small cluster of Slytherins, sending them off to their various family members as he saw them arrive. Albus was one of the Slytherins, his feet crossed over one another and his thumb nail in between his teeth. Slughorn was busy pointing out another student’s parents and ushering her towards them and he didn’t notice Ginny and Lily peering curiously, but Albus did. 

He blushed and stopped biting his nail, nervously looking between Professor Slughorn and Ginny and Lily as if he weren’t sure if he should say something. Slughorn was deep in conversation with the other girl’s parents and Albus looked reluctant to interrupt.

“Why’s he stood on his own?” Lily asked sadly. “Where are his friends?”

“Well I expect-“ Ginny started to speak but Lily bolted away from her, sprinting towards the Slytherins. She went barrelling into Albus, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. Slughorn finally noticed and smiled fondly. 

Albus removed Lily’s arms from around him, his expression giving nothing away. Ginny crossed her fingers, but she needn’t have worried. Albus smiled the tiniest bit at his sister and followed her back to Ginny. 

“Albus says he isn’t sitting with us,” Lily cried in outrage as soon as she was in hearing distance. 

“I don’t mind, Mum. I’ll sit with the rest of my house, you’re going to be right at the front.” Albus shrugged and stared at his feet. 

“Nonsense, I want our family together, and it wouldn’t be complete without you. I need both my Potter boys either side of me.” She smoothed Albus’ hair down over the top of his head and he tried to squirm away. 

“And your Potter girl!” Lily added quickly. 

“Where’s Dad?” Albus asked, sounding suspicious. 

“With Hermione, he’ll join us later. Where’s your brother?” She scanned the crowd. “There he is. James!” 

James came bounding over, all energy and a huge grin. “Greetings, family. Where’s Dad?” 

“With Hermione,” Ginny repeated. “Shall we sit down?” 

“I have to give you your flower crowns!” Lily announced, handing one each to her brothers. 

“Which you are not obliged to wear,” Ginny said quickly. 

“Thanks, Lil,” James said politely.

Albus didn’t say anything, instead just staring at the flowers in disbelief. “You made one for me?” he said after a long pause.

“Of course!” Lily said like it was a stupid question. “I used buttercups because I know they’re your favourite from our garden and-“

Her words were cut off when he hugged her silently. Ginny smiled at her children. 

It became apparent that most people were taking their seats, the current Hogwarts students also filing into rows and rows of chairs at the back. They all had their memorial pin badges attached, each one winking out and looking like stars in the night sky when they were clustered together like that. 

James was waving happily at a classmate across the chairs, despite Ginny muttering that now wasn’t really the time. Albus looked like he’d rather be anywhere else in that moment and, as soon as they sat down, he slid so far down into his chair that he was barely visible over the top of it. 

“Do we have to sit at the front?” he muttered, casting furtive looks around him. Ginny followed his gaze, noticing a cluster of first year Gryffindors openly pointing and laughing. She glared fiercely at a girl with blonde braids who was sniggering behind her hand, and she immediately looked very uncomfortable and tried to hide behind the boy next to her. 

“Who’s that?” Ginny asked Albus subtly.

His cheeks turned red and he didn’t look at her. “Polly Chapman. She’s not that nice to Scorpius.” 

“Is she nice to you?” 

Albus shrugged and didn’t say anything. 

By the time all the Hogwarts students had filed in, Harry had returned from speaking with Hermione. Everyone was watching him take a seat with his family but he pretended not to notice, sitting beside Ginny and kissing her briefly on the cheek. A photographer from the Daily Prophet was snapping away constantly and probably got the moment on camera. 

“Dad!” James greeted enthusiastically, as Harry leaned around Ginny and patted him on the top of his leg. 

“How are you, James?” 

“I have to tell you about Quidditch, Dad!” James started, his eyes shining.

“Later,” Harry murmured, leaning further to try and touch Albus’ shoulder, but he was sat so far down in his seat that he couldn’t manage it. “Al, nice to see you.”

“Albus,” he mumbled, not looking at Harry, not looking at anyone. 

Harry sighed sadly and looked at Ginny forlornly. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze and he smiled gratefully. 

When Hermione read out the names of the Fallen Fifty, and they reflected on the last twenty years, Ginny found herself thinking not just of Fred and the family she’d lost but of her family now, which sometimes felt as if it were slipping away too. 

* * *

_ 2nd May, 2028 _

“Is James not here yet?” 

“You know your brother, fashionably late as always.” Ginny smiled and helped her daughter fasten the thirty year anniversary pin to her front. 

“Where’s James?” came Albus’ voice from behind her. She turned to see him coming to join them, his fiancé in one hand and one of Teddy’s twins in the other; a fairly normal sight these days. “I thought we’d be the last ones here.” 

“Probably waylaid by one of his many adoring fans,” Lily grinned. “You know, cause today’s the day to stop your favourite Puddlemere Chaser and ask for an autograph.”

“Do  _ I _ get a sparkle like that?” Pippa interrupted them and pointed at Lily’s anniversary pin badge, then again at Ginny’s. “I want one! Please, Uncle Al?” She turned her big blue eyes to him and batted her eyelashes. Albus softened immediately; Ginny internally scoffed, he was  _ weak,  _ just like his dad with Lily _. _

“You get one too, Pip. I think your daddy has yours.” Albus sat down and pulled Pippa onto his lap. 

“Where is Teddy?” 

“Over there, practising his speech.” Scorpius gestured in the direction they’d come from. “I think he’s a bit nervous.” 

“I’d be nervous if I had to speak in front of all of these people,” Albus commented, removing Pippa’s hand from where she was trying to play with his hair. 

“Daddy’s not nervous!” Pippa tuned into what they were saying and looked affronted. “He’s the most bravest.” 

“Here he comes now,” Lily pointed into the distance at where Teddy was making his way over to them, Pippa’s twin sister, Clementine, riding on his shoulders. He was accompanied by Harry who was speaking sincerely while Teddy nodded. He  _ did  _ look nervous. 

Harry sat beside Albus and Teddy lowered Clementine to the ground, where she ran to Lily. 

“I got all them!” Clementine presented Lily with a bunch of daisies she’d clearly just picked. “Can we make a crown now?” 

“Me too!” Pippa climbed off Albus’ lap and ran to join what quickly became a daisy chain making session. Lily sat on the grass cross legged with a twin on each side looking pleased as punch. 

“Have you seen my dad anywhere? I think he’s lost,” Scorpius asked Harry. 

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen him since we arrived.” 

“I should go and find him.” Scorpius kissed Albus briefly on the cheek and stood up. Ginny watched her son smile and absentmindedly touch the spot on his cheek where Scorpius had kissed him. 

She looked around at the scenes on either side of her. Lily was placing a completed daisy chain in a delighted Pippa’s hair, Teddy was watching his daughters fondly, mouthing the words to his speech, and on her other side she watched Albus and Harry laugh easily together. 

It had been thirty years. Thirty years since they’d felt unimaginable loss and pain, and they’d all been through so much since then. But here they were now, together and healed, and that was all that mattered. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I wanted to get out there! This is the only thing I think I’ve ever just sat down and written from beginning to end without stopping, I don’t know if I love it but it’s 2nd May and I wanted to upload something :) thankyou to Beks/morphin3 for the quick beta job!


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